The president of one of Hawaii’s largest commercial real estate firms sealed the deal for Alexander & Baldwin in its purchase of Japanese billionaire Genshiro Kawamoto’s 31 Hawaii properties, including 27 in Kahala for $98 million, A&B president and COO Chris Benjamin confirmed to PBN.

Steve Sombrero, president of NAI ChaneyBrooks, who has worked with A&B on various transactions over the years, recently went to Japan to approach Kawamoto with the proposed deal, which was announced earlier this week.

A&B (NYSE: ALEX) has said that it tried to buy Kawamoto’s properties four years ago and then a couple of times after, followed by a few months ago, which led to the sale.

A Hawaii real estate expert previously told PBN that the Kawamoto properties in Kahala along could fetch A&B at least $200 million, which is more than double what the Honolulu-based real estate company is paying.

Sombrero is no stranger to the Japanese real estate market and its biggest players, as evidenced through his representation of a Japan-based firm that bought the Bank of Hawaii Waikiki Center in February. He could not be immediately reached for comment.